SPEAKERS
%20(1)_JPG.jpg)
CHARLOTTE SHAW
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
Session: Keynote 12:30 -1:30 PM CST
Charlotte Shaw serves as the Executive Director/CEO of Birmingham-
Jefferson County Transit Authority (BJCTA). Ms. Shaw has over 25 years
of experience in various industries in both private and public sectors
including her extensive background in Public Transit. She has held various leaderships roles in A/E and Construction Contracts, Operations, Capital Improvement Planning and Program/Project Delivery. Prior to her role as CEO, she was appointed by the Mayor of Birmingham as the Deputy Director of Special Projects to deliver the city's first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which recently launched and is known as the BX Birmingham Xpress.
She was also recently credited with the successful design and
implementation of public transportation for national dignitaries,
visitors and spectators during The World Games 2022 while
maintaining regular services. Ms. Shaw is known for being a compassionate and passionate leader who is also insightful and innovative.
STEVEN JONES, Ph.D.
Interim Executive Director
Alabama Transportation Institute at the University of Alabama
Session: Sustainable Mobility – A Quick Look at the Big Picture
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM CST
Steven Jones was named the Interim Director of the Alabama Transportation Institute (ATI) effective May 16, 2023. Steven is the former James R. Cudworth Professor of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering at The University of Alabama before becoming the the Deputy Director of the Alabama Transportation Institute in 2022. In this role he has overseen the ATI research portfolio and directed its Transportation Policy Research Center. Steven has 30 years of transportation engineering and planning experience spanning both academic and private sector consulting appointments in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and in sub-Saharan Africa. He spent 2019 teaching and conducting transportation research as a Fulbright Scholar at the Namibia University of Science and Technology and was appointed as a Fulbright Scholar Alumni Ambassador in 2021.
In addition to his ATI roles, Jones is the Technology Transfer Director for the Center for Regional and Rural Connected Communities (CR2C2), a USDOT-funded Region IV University Transportation Center (UTC), he is a charter member of the American Society of Civil Engineers Transportation and Development Institute and former chair of its Public Transportation committee. He is an active member of the Transportation Research Board and currently serves on its Committee on Rural, Intercity Bus, and Specialized Transportation. Additionally, he serves on the Institute of Transportation Engineers Standing Committee on Transit. Jones serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Transportation Safety and Security and the African Geographical Review.
He has served as principal investigator on some $16 million in externally sponsored projects from a range of funding sources. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 journal articles, conferences papers, design manuals, and project reports on a range of transportation topics. Jones currently focuses much of his professional efforts exploring how transportation impacts human development (e.g., health and safety, basic accessibility) and cultivating international relationships to facilitate collaborative research, education, and technology transfer.
TRAVIS J. SPRUILL, CPSM, CPSD
Vice President of Procurement & Properties
Shipt
Session: Economic Drivers & Opportunities in the Logistics & Shipping Industry 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM CST
View from the Top Fireside Chat with Shipt 2:15 - 3:00 PM CST
Travis J. Spruill serves as the Vice President of Procurement and Properties for Shipt, Inc. He leads and is responsible for procurement operations, strategic sourcing, and properties/real estate activities for Shipt, a retail tech company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Target Corporation. Travis brings a unique blend of corporate and military experience to Shipt that continues to drive innovation, talent development, and strategic positioning for Shipt’s continuous growth in the retail tech industry.
Throughout his 20+ year career, Travis has lead procurement, operations, and supply chain teams in multiple market-leading enterprises, including Target, Georgia-Pacific, and BAE Systems.
Travis holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, Masters Degree in International Business, is a Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), and a Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity (CPSD) by the Institute of Supply Management.
AARON LIMONTHAS
Vice President of DEI, Learning & Development, & Employee Experience
Shipt
Session: View from the Top Fireside Chat with Shipt 2:15 - 3:00 PM CST
Aaron Limonthas (he/him) is the Vice President of DEI, Learning & Development, and Employee Experience at Shipt, Inc., where he is driving a culture of belonging and professional growth for all employees. His work has led to over 48% of Shipt being gender diverse and over 41% of Shipt identifying as racially diverse; along with increasing the eNPS score for the organization.
Aaron joined Shipt from adidas America, Inc where he served as their Head of Diversity and Inclusion across North America. Under Aaron’s leadership, adidas launched their first national D&I strategy, increased funding of grassroots programs that support and empower communities of color by $120 million, revamped their talent acquisition programming to ensure fair and equitable hiring across adidas, and upskilled over 90% of their North American workforce on inclusive leadership.
Aaron also served as the Diversity lead for Reebok, a partner brand owned by adidas; navigating the intricacies between two separately run brands, within one company. Prior to Reebok, Aaron worked for Dropbox, Inc. helping the organization think inclusively as it grew from an engineering focused startup to a 2,500+ person organization. As their global diversity and inclusion program manager, Aaron helped launch 10 employee resource groups and their first mentorship program, while increasing employee retention by 38%.
Aaron Limonthas is a first generation American with Haitian and Cuban roots. He is an alumnus of Dartmouth College, where he studied Sociology and Women & Gender Studies. Aaron is a father of 3 and resides in Hoover, AL. with his spouse and family.
Executive Director, Birmingham Business Resource Center
Session: View from the Top Fireside Chat with Shipt 2:15 - 3:00 PM CST
Bob Dickerson has spent his career finding ways to get money into the hands of people. For years, he did it as a commercial and consumer lending officer while working at several large financial institutions. Today, he does it as the Executive Director of the Birmingham Business Resource Center and Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Capital, a Small Business Administration Certified Development Company.
Bob founded the BBRC in 1996 after realizing there was no program in Birmingham that combined loan programs with capacity building and advocacy – three things every business needs to succeed. Bob secured the support of Birmingham elected officials, and various development companies and boards to start the BBRC. What he ended up with was an organization that has become a “one-stop-shop” for small business financing and technical assistance. The programs the BBRC manages have produced nearly 900 million in loans to businesses since 1996.
Bob graduated from Tuskegee Institute in 1973 with a degree in business administration. He has worked at several financial institutions but said that working for Birmingham business icon, A. G. Gaston may have been the greatest moment in his career. Gaston made such an impression on Bob, that he and others started the A.G. Gaston Economic Empowerment Conference in 2005. The annual conference focuses on challenges and achievements of black and other minority businesses and examines how to strengthen them through networking, skills development, and targeted workshops. The conference is held in February in Birmingham, Alabama. Recently, Bob founded Building Alabama Reinvestment (BAR), a statewide coalition of non-profit organizations that works to make sure that banks’ efforts under the Community Reinvestment Act pay dividends to the community.
Bob graduated from Tuskegee Institute in 1973 with a degree in business administration. He has worked at several financial institutions but said that working for Birmingham business icon, A. G. Gaston may have been the greatest moment in his career. Gaston made such an impression on Bob, that he and others started the A.G. Gaston Economic Empowerment Conference in 2005. The annual conference focuses on challenges and achievements of black and other minority businesses and examines how to strengthen them through networking, skills development, and targeted workshops. The conference is held in February in Birmingham, Alabama. Recently, Bob founded Building Alabama Reinvestment (BAR), a statewide coalition of non-profit organizations that works to make sure that banks’ efforts under the Community Reinvestment Act pay dividends to the community.
BOB DICKERSON
Katie Westley
Manager of Galactic Unite
Virgin Galactic
Session: Opportunities in the Transportation Industry
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Katie Westley is the Manager for Galactic Unite, the STEAM and community outreach initiative of Virgin Galactic. As a volunteer, she ran Galactic Unite’s outreach program on the ground for 4.5 years, hosting dozens of tours for local school children in California. Since 2019, she manages all Galactic Unite programs including the Black Leaders in Aerospace Scholarship and Training (BLAST) program, Women in STEM scholarship, scholarship programs at New Mexico State University, San Diego State University, UC San Diego, and the University of Leicester in the UK. She manages relationships for more than 50 Virgin Galactic staff and student mentorships, and coordinates and hosts hundreds of Spacechats, tours and events around the globe each year. Katie has been with VG for over 8years, starting as the Business Support Specialist for Engineering where she supported a team of over 300 engineers, then wrote the maintenance manuals for Virgin Galactic’s VMS Eve and VSS Unity as a Technical Writer before moving into her current role.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Philosophy from the University of Dallas, a Women in Leadership Certification from Cornell University, and has been recognized multiple times by her peers at Virgin Galactic for her leadership and service to the company mission. When she isn’t at work, Katie enjoys cooking, reading, and travelling with her husband, Brandon, and their dog, Oreo.
